FABULA

hayley was almost positive that this wasn’t going to kill him, even if there was still the slightest room for doubt – but he still had fight in him, yet enough sense to actually listen and put some pressure on the wound. good. “words don’t really capture it,” she muttered to herself. there was nothing forcing her to stay, except for the fact that she still felt bad. feeding was a part of what she was. “here,” she murmured. her fangs appeared once more, sinking into her own wrist and tearing it open to offer him her own blood, holding her wrist out just in front of his mouth. “it’ll heal you. i know you have no reason to believe me, but i’m not making myself bleed for fun.”

a deep breath was taken and released as a sigh only a moment later. everything that he had told her was absolutely insane and yet there was something about it that felt inevitably correct. hayley had come here for answers about her family and this, technically, was exactly that even if the delivery is a little uncanny. “how am i supposed to know who she is?” she questioned. even if the memories weren’t there, this was her daughter. she had to be there, to be a better mother than the one that she’d had. she wanted the cycle to break, not to be a part of it. even if she couldn’t help dying, she could do something about it now.

so she had a baby with him and some kind of relationship with his brother. huh. but the elijah that she had met hadn’t said a word about any of that which meant he probably didn’t remember any more than she did. “that’s not weird or complicated at all,” hayley remarked sarcastically. after a moment, she remembered the stain of blood on her sweater sleeve, fidgeting with it slightly. “i’m guessing you know a little more about controlling this kind of thing than i do right now.” she doesn’t like asking for help and that was perhaps the most direct that she could get herself to be about it. asking for help sucked, but so did feeling out of control. “it’s kind of an inconvenient thing to forget.”

Klaus took a moment to consider it then shook his head. "She’ll find you.” He then told her. “Trust me.” If Hope knew Hayley was around (and there was no way in hell she didn’t), she would come running to find her mother. Klaus could imagine the look of disappointment on Hope’s face when she inevitably finds out her own mother didn’t remember her and it broke his heart but it was better than the alternative. They both would rather have Hayley in their lives and not remember them than not at all. “It really is not that complicated. Not with me anyway. You and I were never... romantic.”  He chuckled. “What actually complicated the matters was you marrying some bloke named Jackson.” Perhaps telling her that had been overkill. She didn’t need to know every detail of the past. The essentials would’ve been enough but being the asshole he is, Klaus simply had to see her reaction.

   Almost instantly, Josette regretted asking this particular stranger. Something about him set her on edge, like she knew something about him was different than everyone else she had come across. He looked almost familiar, and Josie vaguely remembered seeing someone whom he reminded her of in her recent odd dreams. Swallowing thickly, Josie’s widening eyes focused on the finger now pointed at her. Little witch? “I’m sorry,” The Saltzmann cleared her throat, shaking her head slightly as she took a small step away from the unfamiliar male. “Do we know each other?”

Octavia stayed silent for a moment as the male infront of her spoke, and she cast her eyes downward. Feeling extremly guilty. “What do you mean, loose me again?” she asked, looking back up at him with a raised eyebrow. “I’m really sorry i don’t seem to remember you. I feel like such an ass for not remembering you.” a pause. “I can tell you about the life i do remember if you want?”

elijah was on edge –– here too long with no real answers, no explanation for what was going on, and with an apparent inability ( or perhaps it was a lack of desire ) to leave. and, god, he was hungry. he felt malnourished and empty, craving something but unable to pinpoint what exactly it was. every day that hollow hunger grew, and every day he worked harder to simultaneously ignore it and fill it. when someone joined him, he might’ve ordinarily been annoyed, but the distraction was almost welcome. he put down the city’s local newspaper, waited patiently for the other to make his purpose known. when he did, it was nothing that he’d expected. “brother?” elijah couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head. “you have me mistaken for someone else. i have no siblings. if you don’t mind, niklaus, i’m quite busy.” he picked the newspaper up again, not realizing that he’d spoken a name he had no business knowing.

     the words stung despite them ringing true. his life was not one for a child, nor a way in which to raise one. while a small, buried part of him had always yearned for a more simpler life, he knew it would never come to fruition. he was a witcher, created to do one thing and one thing only. he should have bit his tongue in court that fateful day, never should have tempted destiny as he had. “she has no one else,” he grunted, tone gruff. defensive. “cintra fell, her grandmother is dead. nilfgaard is after her. i never wanted to accept my child surprise, but she needs to be protected. i’m the only one who can give that to her.”

The sudden statement, caught Piper a bit off guard. All she could do was blink a few times as her mind tried to wrap around, to make sense of it. She had never seen this girl in her life, she was sure of that, and yet, there was something so familiar… it was almost the same feeling she had upon meeting lukas and Charlie and so many others…. the girl must have been a daughter of Aphrodite. “Hey, I’m sorry- I don’t think we’ve before. I’m Piper.” The old habit of leaving off her last name came into play. She didn’t know if this girl would know who her father was. “I believe you, I just haven’t seen you around the camp before. Daughter of Aphrodite, right?”

Silena couldn’t help but smile. Her instincts were never off when it came to meeting another demigod. Then again, she thought any of them could recognize a sibling when they see one. “Pleasure to meet you, Piper. I’m Silena.” She said with a small nod. “Oh, I, uh...” Her smile faltered and she suddenly panicked. Silena didn’t want to give her the whole rundown of everything - the war, her death. It would’ve been a little too heavy for a first meeting but she also wondered if the girl already knew. Would she recognize her name? “Yeah, go cabin 10.” Did the campers still remember her or was she forgotten as the spy that betrayed them all? “I haven’t been around for a while, I guess.”

Charles tried not to feel too disappointed when she pulled her hand away from his, well aware that this couldn’t be easy for her. She was the one who had to live without the other, he only had to wait. But instead of hearing what he thought would be an admission she’d found love with someone else after he died, Charles felt his heart get torn out an entirely different way. Silena had been the spy? It didn’t make sense, it just… gods, it did make sense and he hated it. Unable to sit still with that revelation, Charles stood - but he couldn’t leave. “You should have known better.” He agreed, his voice raspy from trying to hold back tears. Of all the people who had been the cause of his death - he knew Silena would have never intended that particular result, not for him or any of their cousins, but it was still a betrayal. “Tell me you didn’t tell him anything else after that. Tell me you realised he was a liar when Percy came home without me.” If anyone else had been hurt by her secrets - the thought just dug deeper into the hole where his heart had been.

Silena felt her heart clench in her chest when he stood. Scared that he would leave she jumped to her feet and let a sigh of relief when he didn’t. Gods, he couldn’t even look at her and who could blame him? What they had was special and Silena was glad that it lasted as long as it did but she knew everything would be different after this. There was no coming back. She was the reason for his death and so many others. "I know. I know.” She wasn’t going to make any excuses for her actions. She should’ve known better. Period. “I didn’t!” She exclaimed. “I swear I didn’t. H-He promised me you wouldn’t get hurt. And when you didn’t come back I...” She shook her head. The memory of that day had been embedded in her mind. The sheer horror and sorrow she felt upon receiving the news, the guilt that followed... “I only then realized what I had done. That he was lying to me and I... I tried to make it right but it was too late.” She dipped her head, avoiding his gaze, she couldn’t bear to see the disappointment in his eyes. “I’m sorry, Charlie. I really am. I wish I could take it all back.” She said, then raised her head to meet his eyes. “But I can’t. I know that and I know you will hate me forever for it.”

              as  a  daughter  of  demeter  she  was  often  influenced  by  the  whether.  she  didn't  do  well  with  the  cold  in  the  slightest.  she  had  grown  up  in  north  carolina  where  is  was  almost  always  warm  or  at  least   mild.  ‘  i  mean  i  think  snow  is  beautiful  and  all,  but  i  am  not  a  fan  of  the  cold . plus  most  things  cant  grow.  ’

Putting her finger down, she nods her head and sighs softly. “Do you recall anything of what happened? What do you remember last?” She questions with a frown. “You know me, Silena, always prepared for things, although I don’t think I have any nectar.” She mumbles and furrows her eyebrows in confusion. “What? No, you have no reason to apologize to me, Silena. We both believed that Luke wouldn’t hurt people we cared about. You telling us that Luke had lied about not hurting Beckendorf and doing so anyway, made me realize that there was no hope left, I had to stop thinking that there was still good in him. Every conversation here with Luke has left me crying because I still stupidly hope that things could maybe be better, but you are not at fault, you died a hero.”

He’d been about to walk away. Clearly she wanted nothing to do with him, and that was fair enough. Luke wouldn’t want anything to do with himself if he actually had a say in the matter. “But then she actually asked. Turning back to her with an incredulous look, Luke shrugged. "Same old.” He couldn’t say good. He wasn’t sleeping, he had gotten into a shouting match with a goddess, and he was trying to avoid Annie so she wouldn’t cry and Thalia so she wouldn’t yell at him. “I hope you’re doing better. Have you told Percy and Annabeth you’re here?” He wasn’t sure if they’d ever found out Silena had been his spy, but Percy had already forgiven Luke and it’d probably be easier for Annabeth to forgive her than it was for her to forgive him. Either way, he knew he could take the blame. “They’re dating, actually. Seem pretty happy. There’s a few others from camp too.”

"I am.” Silena lied. Her days were spent trying to avoid anyone from back home and nights laying in bed sleepless and Silena was sure the same went for Luke as well but what would be the point of telling each other that? “Yeah, I saw Annabeth just a few days ago.” And she was painfully nice and understanding. “Figured Percy would be around too. They’re hardly ever separated.” A soft chuckle escaped her lips when he mentioned them dating. She was happy for them. If anyone deserved happiness it was Percy and Annabeth. They’d sacrificed so much and saved them all more times than she could count. “I kinda knew.” She told him. “Back home. You had to be blind not to see it frankly.” Plus, her mother was the goddess of love so the subject wasn’t at all unfamiliar to her. “I’m glad we’re all here. Alive and well. And safe. Even though some of us don’t deserve to be.” She certainly didn’t.

Taking a risk, Charles reached out to her. His calloused thumb was gentle as he wiped away the tears from her cheek. The way she spoke, it gave him hope. Her words were in the present tense, bringing his most vulnerable smile to his face. Only she could ever bring that out of him, it’d always been that way. “I could never hate you.” He promised, moving his hand from her face so he could take her hand, squeezing it lightly. He imagined she was going to tell him there had been someone else after he died, or someone in these strange second lives they’d lived, but that wasn’t something he could hold against her. The only thing he cared about was seeing her happy. “Come on, we’ll find somewhere to sit, you can tell me whatever you need to, but it’s okay. Whatever it is, I don’t care. Like you said, all that matters is we’re here.” Not wanting to let go of her hand, he held on like she was his tether to this moment, leading over to a bench further away from others. This moment was theirs, not belonging to anyone else.

A slight gasp escaped her lips when his hands moved to touch her face. She wanted to believe him so badly; that this could last, that she hadn’t destroyed the one chance she had at happiness. His hands felt warm on hers; Silena didn’t want to let them go. She tried to tell him, no, but the words wouldn't get past her lips. When she tried to shake her head, it also wouldn't obey her. So she stayed silent and followed him as he lead them to a bench not too far away from where they were standing. It was quieter, away from the crowd, not a soul in sight to disturb them. Perfect spot for her to crush his dreams - and her own. She hesitantly sat down and she did, she pulled her hand away. Hands clasped on her lap, she stayed silent for a moment longer before finally speaking again. “Charlie, I don’t know how to tell you this.” Her eyes kept staring at the ground. She feared if she looked him in the eyes, she wouldn’t be able to get the words out.  “I was the spy.” She breathed out, tears once again trailing down her face. “I told Kronos that the Ares kids wouldn’t be there to defeat the Lydian Drakon.” She shut her eyes completely at that point, shaking as she spoke. “Luke, he convinced me that it was the right thing to do. He told me you wouldn’t get hurt.” She then forced herself to look him in the eyes. He had to belive her, she had to make him believe. “I was stupid and naive and I should’ve known better.”

“When we, what?” Her eyes widened, Caroline swore she never met this man, she would’ve remembered such a charming face. “And what the hell do you mean by that? What memories?” The blonde snapped, saying she was confused was too little for how she was really feeling right now. “Ugh, if this is one of those stupid games you men do to try and seduce a girl, just leave, It’s not working.”

Despite the heartbreak, Klaus chuckled. Even without her memories, Caroline was still Caroline. “Oh, it was a pickup line I already would’ve used it on you, love, trust me.” He then paused, suddenly more serious. “Caroline, what is the last thing you remember?” When Klaus had met Caroline just after she’d become a vampire and if she didn’t remember him, perhaps she didn’t remember turning at all.

“happy valentine’s day, bellamy.” even if it was a little bit of an odd tradition, clarke had found it enjoyable to send roses to him. the dozen from thor had been a surprise, but the note attached reminded her of how much she’d wanted to be here, how easy it had been to drunkenly ramble about her feelings for bellamy. it had been eerily natural. she rolled the stem of the flower between her thumb and first finger with a soft smile on her lips as she admired it, opting to hold onto it.

as she listened to him ramble on, the smile remained set firm on her lips. it was easy to forget just how smart bellamy really was about academic knowledge, how much he knew about history. it hadn’t always come up with all they’d been occupied by. “roman, huh? i’ve heard a little about saint valentine, but… just that he was a martyr.” she chewed at the flesh on the inside of her cheek, amused with his knowledge. “so should i put a sticky note with bellamy on it on my sleeve for the next week?”

“Yeah, that’s true too but the martyr part came later during the Christian Era. And before that, I think was called  Luper-something. Lupercalia? I’m not sure.” It was embarrassing how much he knew about such a silly tradition but as a child, he loved learning everything there was about the ground -the traditions, history, saints, beliefs. It was his way of escaping the harsh reality they were forced to live. He used to imagine himself on the ground, he imagined taking Octavia with him. Years later his wish had been granted but not in a way he ever would’ve hoped. 

“Hey..hi..oh gods, don’t move, you might be concussed, try and follow my finger.” She states, moving her finger over Silena’s eyes from one side to another, despite not being a child of Apollo, she knew some things of injuries. “I think I still have a bag of Ambrosia squares in my bag if you want some, always come prepared, you know me.” She mumbles with small laughter escaping. It was still surreal to see the other here, she may not have been as close to her as Clarisse or her siblings, but she had still cared, and knew that she was a hero despite what was revealed before her death. “I uh, didn’t exactly do it on purpose?” She admits and sits back, a hand reaching up to fiddle with her red coral pendant out of worry. “I saw someone lying there and wanted to help, but I am glad to see you.”

“what makes you think that you’re the one?” the blonde slurred her words, batting her eyelashes in an innocent manner, mostly to make it seem like she isn’t already drunk. “who– who even are you?” caroline proceeded to ask, confusion clouding her features. sure, he was attractive, but there was something about him that sent a shiver down her spine.

“You sure didn’t seem to mind it when we -” Klaus paused, realization suddenly hitting him. She didn’t remember. “You too, huh?” His heart clenched in his chest and a sigh of desperation escaped him as he shook his head. “Am I the only one in this wretched town that has their bloody memories intact?” He exclaimed. Hayley didn’t remember, nor did Elijah and now Caroline. Klaus had had his fair share of heartbreak in his thousand years but this was the moment where he felt truly alone. “Caroline.” He breathed. “It’s Klaus. Please. Tell me this means something to you.”